CVE-2025-30290 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) affecting multiple versions of Adobe ColdFusion, specifically versions 2023.12, 2021.18, 2025.0, and earlier. The vulnerability arises from improper limitation of pathname inputs to restricted directories, allowing an attacker with high privileges to bypass security protections. This bypass enables unauthorized write and delete operations on the file system, potentially compromising the integrity and availability of the affected system. Notably, exploitation does not require user interaction, and the scope of impact extends beyond the initially compromised component, affecting the broader system environment. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.7, reflecting its critical impact on integrity and availability with network attack vector, low attack complexity, and no user interaction required. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the nature of the vulnerability and its ease of exploitation by a privileged attacker make it a significant threat. Adobe ColdFusion is a widely used commercial rapid web application development platform, often deployed in enterprise environments for building and deploying web applications and APIs. The ability to write and delete files arbitrarily can lead to severe consequences such as web shell deployment, data tampering, service disruption, or further lateral movement within the network.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-30290 can be substantial, especially for those relying on Adobe ColdFusion for critical web applications and services. Unauthorized write and delete access can lead to data integrity issues, service outages, and potential data loss, impacting business continuity and regulatory compliance, including GDPR mandates on data protection and breach notification. The vulnerability's ability to bypass security controls elevates the risk of advanced persistent threats (APTs) leveraging this flaw to establish persistence or escalate privileges. Industries such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure in Europe that utilize ColdFusion could face operational disruptions and reputational damage. Additionally, the cross-scope nature of the vulnerability means that a compromise in one component could affect other parts of the IT environment, increasing the attack surface and complicating incident response efforts.

To mitigate CVE-2025-30290 effectively, European organizations should: 1) Immediately apply any available security patches or updates from Adobe once released, as patching is the most definitive remediation. 2) Implement strict access controls to limit ColdFusion administrative privileges only to trusted personnel and systems, reducing the risk of exploitation by high-privileged attackers. 3) Employ application-layer firewalls and intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to monitor and block suspicious file system operations or anomalous requests targeting ColdFusion servers. 4) Conduct thorough audits of file system permissions and ColdFusion configuration to ensure no unnecessary write/delete permissions are granted to the ColdFusion service account. 5) Use network segmentation to isolate ColdFusion servers from sensitive backend systems, limiting lateral movement if exploitation occurs. 6) Monitor logs for unusual file access patterns or deletion events indicative of exploitation attempts. 7) Develop and test incident response plans specifically addressing ColdFusion-related compromises to enable rapid containment and recovery. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on privilege management, monitoring, and network architecture tailored to the ColdFusion environment.